


Don't You Keep So Close

by tiniestmite



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Broken Bones, Concussions, Explosions, Fire, I'm Sorry, M/M, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27333601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite/pseuds/tiniestmite
Summary: The 126 respond to a warehouse fire and Carlos is trapped inside... whump ensues.(aka double tarlos whump bc i couldn’t help myself)
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984406
Comments: 12
Kudos: 113
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	Don't You Keep So Close

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brilliantbanshee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brilliantbanshee/gifts).



> Written for the “Caught in an explosion” square on my bthb card (open for requests - see the board [here](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/) :) 
> 
> Requested by Jillian, who said "Okay after much deliberation can I request "caught in an explosion"? I will leave it up to you which half of Tarlos should be caught in the explosion, but it would be fantastic if you could manage to get any of the other members of the 126 involved some how. I'm ready to love it when ever you get to it 💕"
> 
> Title from "Summer Love" by Harbor and Home

Pulling up to the scene of a fire is never a great feeling for TK. Sure, part of him is eager for the rush of adrenaline he will get as he makes his way through the burning structure. But with the threat of something going wrong always looming in the back of his mind, he tries not to let his excitement get too ahead of him. 

And when dispatch comes on over the radio to inform the team that there are two uniformed officers inside, he can’t help the unease that washes over him at the thought that there’s always a chance Carlos is one of them. 

“Hey,” Judd catches his attention as if he can read his mind. “Don’t go there yet. It might not be him.”

TK nods as the team exits the truck, trying to focus his attention as his dad begins to relay orders. 

“Okay, dispatch says there are two main sections of the warehouse. Paul and Marjan, I want you to take the east side, TK and Judd, you take the west. Probie stays outside with me. This building does not look too good, so when I say get out now, I don’t want anybody trying to play hero today.”

As he speaks, TK doesn’t fail to notice his dad’s eyes landing on him. He has to refrain from rolling his eyes. He’s messed up far too many times on calls when he let his instincts kick in only for it to backfire. Clearly Owen has had enough.

As he finishes putting on the last of his equipment, Judd appears behind him, clapping his shoulder. “You ready?”

Giving a quick nod, the two men head towards the east entrance of the burning warehouse, breaking down the door before entering the flame-filled structure. 

As they begin to make their way through the dense smoke, TK can’t help but notice how the building creaks above the roar of the flames. The structure is clearly becoming more unstable by the second. If they had any hope of finding anyone inside, they would need to pick up the pace.

As they round the corner the new scene coming into view is enough to stop both TK and Judd in their tracks. Just a few feet away from them lies a fallen beam. But what catches their attention is not the destruction of the fire, but the silhouette of a figure trapped underneath. 

TK and Judd quickly launch into first responder mode, ready to do everything in their power to get this person free as soon as possible. But as they get closer, TK realizes he recognizes that figure. 

His stomach drops. 

Even through all the smoke, he could recognize those beautiful brown curls anywhere.

But while he freezes, Judd is able to keep his composure despite the fact they both know the man pinned under the fallen beam. “Hey Reyes, don’t worry. Your boy and I are going to get you out of here.”

“TK?” Carlos coughs out.

Snapping back into action by his boyfriend calling out for him, TK takes the opportunity to crouch down next to him. “Yeah, I’m here. Can you tell me what hurts?”

“Can’t… breathe…” 

“Okay, Judd and I are going to get this beam off you. Just hang on.”

He moves to the opposite end of the beam from Judd. The pair nods at each other before lifting up the beam and allowing for Carlos to pull himself out from underneath. 

TK wastes no time dropping his end of the beam and rushing over to Carlos’ side. “Are you okay?”

Carlos nods. “My partner was checking out the other side of the building before it caught on fire,” he says in between coughs.

“Paul and Marjan are over there now. Right now we need to get you out,” TK responds. While he admires his boyfriend’s concern for his partner, Mya, he also has his dad’s earlier message echoing in his mind. Not to mention, Carlos is clearly injured.

He turns to Judd. “I’m going to get Carlos out to medical. You want to finish sweeping this side and meet up with Paul and Marjan on the east end?”

Judd hesitates before answering. “You sure you got this, Strand?”

“Yeah I’m good. Go ahead.”

“Copy that,” Judd nods. “Be careful.”

TK nods as he helps Carlos up and drapes his arm around his neck, taking on some of his weight. If he had to guess, noticing how Carlos uses his other arm to hold his chest, he would have to say Carlos probably has a few broken ribs.

As they make their way towards the exit, he starts to notice how the roar of the fire grows louder and the creaking of the warehouse only becomes more apparent. 

Just as he’s about to make a comment to Carlos about possibly picking up the pace, he’s cut off by a loud boom and the force of being thrown backwards several feet while debris rains on top of them.

As he falls backwards, TK feels a flash of pain as he lands incorrectly on his left arm. He finds himself squeezing his eyes shut, waiting for the commotion to stop. 

When everything finally settles down, he opens his eyes only to be met with more darkness, only a few slivers of light shining through the rubble here and there. The fire has all but been extinguished, leaving only a few smoldering pieces of debris.

Glancing around as his eyes adjust to the darkness, he takes in what remains of their surroundings. They are now trapped in a small alcove of rubble, with only a few feet of headroom above him allowing him to sit up. 

Continuing to look around, his eyes land on Carlos just a few inches away from him, face down. 

“Carlos?” he hesitantly asks and tries not to panic when he doesn’t get a response. 

Cradling his injured arm to his chest, he scoots closer and does his best to turn Carlos’ around. He pauses when he notices the large gash on the other man’s forehead. 

_ Shit. _

TK had not even considered how unprotected Carlos was during the explosion. Whereas TK had his gear and a helmet, Carlos only had his thin uniform and nothing to protect his head. 

Putting his paramedic training to good use, TK begins to examine Carlos for any further injuries, letting out a sigh of relief when he finds a pulse on Carlos’ wrist. Beyond some cuts and scrapes, there does not appear to be any other serious injuries besides his head wound and the ribs that if not broken before, they definitely were now. 

Realizing the severity of their current situation, TK instinctively reaches for his radio, only to find static when he tries to connect. 

_ Of course _ .

“Carlos?” He tries again, biting back tears when Carlos doesn’t move beside the shallow rise and fall of his chest, reassuring TK that he has no reason to freak out. Not yet anyway.

TK wishes he could go back to when he thought the worst of his day would be finding Carlos under that beam. The events from just a few minutes earlier when he and Judd rescued Carlos feel like a century ago. 

_ Judd. Did Judd make it to the other end of the building? Is the other end of the building still intact? What about Paul and Marjan? _

He pushes the racing thoughts out of his mind. There’s nothing he can do right now but wait. Wait for help. Even though with his broken radio he has no way of contacting any of his team, he knows his dad and Mateo were outside the warehouse. 

TK’s sure that while his dad is likely freaking out right now, he’s also professional enough to run the call and rescue them. Help is coming. 

It has to be.

Taking a few shaky breaths, he tries to focus on something else. Anything else. But his thoughts are consumed with worry of how badly Carlos is hurt and if – no,  _ when _ they will get out of here. 

Glancing back over to Carlos, his heart skips a beat as the other man begins to stir. 

“Carlos?” he says, this time with slightly more optimism than the first two. 

“TK?” Carlos moans, slowly coming to. 

“Yeah, I’m here. Are you okay?”

Carlos opens his eyes, reaching toward his forehead before TK stops him. “My head…”

“Yeah, you have a pretty nasty cut up there,” TK responds. His heart sinks at the painful look in Carlos’ eyes.

“What happened?”

“We got caught in an explosion before we could get out of the building.”

Carlos’ eyes widen as he becomes more aware of the situation. “Are you okay?”

Of course Carlos would be more concerned about TK’s wellbeing over his own.

“I’m fine,” TK tries to assure him, ignoring the piercing pain shooting up his arm.

He must not be hiding his pain well since Carlos scans his body, stopping at his arm. “No, you’re not.”

“I just hurt my arm a little when we got blown back. But it’s fine. I’m more concerned about you right now.”

“I’m okay, just a headache and a little sore,” Carlos responds, wincing as he does his best to sit up a little more and face TK. “How long have we been stuck here?”

TK searches his brain, trying to find any indication of how much time has passed. “Not sure, maybe 10-15 minutes?”

Carlos nods, processing the new information.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, despite the fact TK knows he should keep talking with his head injury. However the more time passes, the more the severity of the situation settles in.

“Why were you and Mya called to check out this warehouse?” TK finally asks, breaking the silence.

“Dispatch said something about a suspicious figure entering the abandoned warehouse. I didn’t see anything on this side though,” he shakes his head. “We shouldn’t have split up.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sure Mya is fine with the rest of the 126,” TK tries to comfort him. Though there’s no way of knowing for sure, he figures they were closest to the explosion. The others have to be fine.  _ Right? _

Carlos nods again and they fall into another moment of silence, both unsure what to say next. 

This time it’s Carlos who breaks the silence. “Is your arm okay?” 

“What?” TK says, somewhat caught off guard by the interruption. 

Carlos gives a small nod toward TK’s chest where he has not stopped cradling his arm.

“Oh, it’s fine. Probably broken though. How about you?” He quickly shifts the focus back to Carlos, not wanting to dwell on his own pain. “Does your head feel any better? And your ribs? I noticed how you were holding them earlier and figured they might be broken…”

“I’m doing okay,” Carlos replies. TK can tell he’s lying though. While the head wound has stopped bleeding, the way Carlos keeps staring off and his ability to not sit up entirely shows is enough for TK to know that the other man clearly has a serious concussion. And the way he has yet to let go of his chest, almost as if he’s trying to hold his ribs in place, confirms his suspicions from before. 

He would call him out on it all, but since he’s also downplaying his own injuries, he decides it’s probably for the best to let it go for now.

As another moment of silence falls over them, they are both caught off guard by the increase of light that begins to pour into their small alcove in the rubble. When enough pieces of debris are moved away, TK doesn’t think he’s ever been more grateful to see his dad. 

“You boys okay down there?” his dad asks with a hint of desperation in his voice. TK can’t even imagine how hard this must have been for him, waiting to find out, yet again, if his son is okay.

“Yeah we’re hanging in there. Definitely ready to get out of here though,” he replies, exchanging a quick smile with Carlos before turning back to his dad. “You need to get Carlos out first. He has a fairly severe head injury.”

“TK has a broken arm,” Carlos quickly adds, causing TK to glare at him. 

“We’re going to get you both out. Don’t worry,” his dad says, ignoring their banter. “TK, why don’t you give me your hand first?”

Fighting against his instinct to insist that Carlos go first, TK obliges, extending his good arm out and allowing his dad to pull him out. 

As his eyes adjust to the brightness of day, he breathes out a sigh of relief as the rest of his team and Mya come into view. 

“Thought I told you to be careful,” Judd approaches him first.

“As far as I know, I didn’t cause the explosion.”

“Yeah, sure kid. Let’s get you over to Michelle, okay?”

“Wait,” he stops Judd from leading him over to the ambulance. 

Before Judd can say ask what’s up, they watch as his dad assists Carlos out of the rubble. The wave of relief that washes over him in that moment is indescribable. 

Catching his boyfriend’s eye, they exchange another round of smiles. 

They are both going to be fine.

“Okay, now we can go.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was hard one to write... it's also the longest one-shot I've ever written so yay I guess? 😅
> 
> Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed!


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